Sometimes you just cannot fathom the proceedings. 25th Jan 2012 should be considered as one of the black days in the history of Pune. Or was it a atrocious warning of things to come?
One Santosh Mane boarded a MSRTC bus and went on to rampage on the roads of Pune for nearly one hour, killing nine people and injuring 30 people. He was a full time driver of MSRTC. Now it is alleged that he was undergoing some medical treatment for 'mental disorder'.
In reality, he was 'infuriated' as he was not given the duty hours that he wanted. I really don't know how to react on this ghastly incident.
The number of people died in the road accidents in Pune, as per the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), is 417 in 365 days of 2011.
And more shockingly the number of people died in the road accidents every year from the year 2007 onwards is at least 400. The average per year is 428!
The traffic branch will focus on improving the road infrastructure such as road signage, pedestrian crossings, and lane markings in 2012. The traffic branch plans to make short films on traffic awareness with the help of NGOs and other institutions.
By the way now we have 24/7 mobile helpline service 8888004455 where you can inform the police about accidents, traffic jams and commotion.
PMPL city buses are major miscreants of accidents. Ironically these city buses are the means of daily commute for many people in Pune, PCMC and all the suburbs.
The basic problem is lack of safe driving practices. It obviously, generates from the famous deficiency of 'civic sense', which is a typical Indian hallmark. We, as citizens, have to observe some obedience of traffic rules without failure.
Solving the traffic problems of our city is a collective responsibility, not a duty in isolation.
